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Friday, January 13, 2012

Lorenzo's Way in Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center

When I predicted that 2012 will be a busy year, I wasn't expecting for it to be THIS busy. I've been buzzing around like a busy bee ever since I returned back to work on the 2nd day of the year. Meetings conducted one after the other, reports growing by the number and a lot more! Don't get me wrong, I entered the year with an optimistic heart and I'm just so happy doing what I'm doing right now. In other words -- I. Love. My. Job.

Still, after a hectic work week, what makes my heart flutter is the thought that the weekend is here! This is the only time when I can stay in bed longer, catch up on my favorite TV shows and go out and eat, eat, eat to my hearts content!

Aside from Chinese and Japanese cuisines, I love Filipino food. How can I ever say no to that mouthwatering Lechon or that heart-stopping, oil-dripping Garlic Pork Adobo that goes perfectly well with steamed white rice? Oh the thought of it always puts a smile on my face.

There are a lot of Filipino restaurants around yet there are only a few that I really love. One of those is Lorenzo's Way. Hats off to the LJC Group for creating a number of really good Filipino restaurants from Cafe Adriatico to Fely J's, from the Capampangan Abe to Lorenzo's Way.

Last Christmas, Paul and I joined my Mom, Aunt and sister as we went to Greenbelt 5 with my Grandparents and we decided to have dinner at Lorenzo's Way. After all, my Kongkong just loves Filipino food as much as I do! :) In fact, while walking around choosing for a restaurant, what made my Kongkong and I immediately chose Lorenzo's Way was when we saw llaneras of paella outside waiting to be picked up. We are both big fans of paella thus this became a big plus for making our reservation at Lorenzo's Way immediately.

Dinner began with a small plate of Gambas (Php. 320) which instantly became everyone's favorite. They serve it a basket of warm bread and butter which was pretty good too. If only they gave us more slices of bread good enough for everyone on the table. Imagine, there were 6 of us and we only got 4 tiny slices of bread. When I asked for more, it took them a good 15 minutes and 4 follow-ups to give another 4 tiny slices of bread. Oh well...

Mommy, sensing that an order of Paella is not enough for us decided to get the Paella Valenciana and my favorite, the Paella Negra.

Everyone loved the Paella Valenciana (Php. 595) which had a generous serving of chicken, mussels and veggies. My sister commented that they also have a good amount of socarrat (tutong) which, like me and Kongkong, she loves very much. I wasn't able to try this though as I was busy focusing on the other paella.

Ever since I tried the Paella Negra (Php. 425) back when I was still a little girl, this instantly became my paella of choice. Despite aunts and uncles teasing me about my scary looking dark teeth and lips, I still enjoy the flavorful rice cooked in squid ink and sprinkled with lemon juice. So simple yet so satisfyingly delicious. I actually prefer to have a little bit of garlic aoili sauce also squeezed on top of my plate of paella. Sadly, no garlic aoili here at Lorenzo's Way but I was still pleased just the same. Needless to say, I had quite a lot more serving than what everyone else had for the Paella Negra.

To go with our rice, we also had LJC's famous Knock Out Knuckles (Php. 595) which is similar to how its served in Cafe Adriatico and Abe. Topped with lots of garlic bits and deep-fried to perfection. You really get what you paid for as this pork leg is really meaty and not just filled with fat and bones.

Since Paul and Mom loves fish, we got the Binukadkad na Pla Pla (Php. 395). Once again, similar to the Knock Out Knuckles, this is also available in other LJC restaurants. We love how they prepare this dish as the fish was fried to the crisp making it so easy to feast on leaving not even the bones behind.

We also ordered a lot more dishes such as the Spanish Garlic Chicken (Php. 325) which was pretty small and the Pinakbet Magalang (Php. 275) which we find a bit too bland for our taste.

Despite all that, we had a great Christmas dinner at Lorenzo's Way. After all, what matters most is being able to spent precious time with your loved ones, right? How I wish Papa was able to join us that evening... *sigh* Maybe next time.

Lorenzo's Way is located at the G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center in Makati City. Call them at 729-0047 / 729-0013.